Kids wait in the wings to take center stage in the New York City Ballet's holiday favorite.

Backstage at 'The Nutcracker'

All 16 soldiers cram into the elevator which takes them from their dressing rooms to the stage. This year, 109 children from the School of American Ballet (SAB) dance in 'The Nutcracker,' with two casts (54 in 'A Cast' and 55 in 'B Cast') alternating nights. Each child will perform 23 or 24 times (depending on which cast they are in) at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. The production, which debuted on Feb. 2, 1954, is seen by over 100,000 New Yorkers and visitors each year.